


Three Times Mako Didn't Kiss Wu, And One Time He Did

by pyroeis



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Awkwardness, Crushes, Dialogue, During Canon, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Good for them, Humor, M/M, Pining, also questionable, although the humor part is questionable, excuse my shitty tags, theres a lot of, these bitches gay!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26205697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroeis/pseuds/pyroeis
Summary: A soft blush appeared on Mako's face. There it was. The lovey-dovey feeling that's been haunting Mako for ages now. But he had to ignore it. There was no point in confessing his feelings now, it's not like Wu would ever feel the same. Kind of depressing, wasn't it?
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 194





	Three Times Mako Didn't Kiss Wu, And One Time He Did

**Author's Note:**

> The first time is based entirely on the events in from episode 7 in season 4, when Wu was kidnapped!! I tried my best describing what happened in the episode, just focusing more on Mako's feelings. Also, the dialogue might not be 100% accurate because I translated it from Polish back to English. Also also, this was supposed to be way longer (two additional times they didn't kiss) but I planned a 5k fic and ended up with over 7k words and at this point, I'm too lazy to write more 💔

i.

Mako couldn't remember the last time he was so stressed, upon being faced with a kidnapping. As a detective, dealing with crimes like that was normal and usually, Mako was able to stay calm. However, this time was completely different. His heart was racing, his hands were shaking, his breath was shallow, and his eyes, despite his massive frown, were wide open and cautious, scanning the surroundings like a machine.

He was on the train station with Korra and Asami, as the Avatar's instincts told her Prince Wu was taken here, and all three of them were looking for that one train that could have had Wu on board. Mako turned around to consult with Korra and Asami, only to find Korra kneeling, hand on the floor, her eyes closed as if she was trying to communicate with the train station. Mako gulped, feeling more and more stress with every second. He was about to ask Korra what she was doing, but right then and there, she shot up back to her legs and pointed to a train.

"He's in there!" She yelled, running over to the train, as its doors closed and its wheels moved.

All the stress that was filling Mako's body turned into anger with only a hint of worry. He followed Korra and Asami, jumping onto the train and barging into one of the wagons. The objective was to find Prince Wu and make sure he was alive and all right. The fear of not finding him, or even finding him... dead, was making Mako sick to his stomach. He blamed it on the fact that this whole situation could end up in him being fired, but deep down he knew all the shaking, shallow and short breaths and heart palpitations were caused by the haunting thought of never seeing Wu again. He simply couldn't let that happen, it wasn't an option. No, it simply wasn't up for debate. He was going to find Wu and he was going to end Kuvira for setting up the kidnapping. That crazy lady was way ahead of herself.

"How can you be sure this is the one?" Mako asked, going in deeper into the wagon, looking at Korra, trying to pretend he wasn't at all close to having a heart attack.

"I can't. But my instincts told me it is, right?" She shrugged in response.

"And I'm supposed to trust your 'Avatar instincts', huh?"

Korra finally turned around to face Mako, and angrily said, "You wouldn't have to if you could just look after the Prince like you were supposed to!"

"So it's my fault that Wu was kidnapped, then?" He yelled back, frustrated, while Asami guided them to the next wagon.

"Well, it sure isn't my fault!" Before they could continue arguing, Asami stepped in.

"Shush you guys. Listen, I think I hear something." When dead silence filled up the wagon, Mako realised that one of the suitcases stored there was moving unnaturally (not that suitcases would naturally move by their own, of course). His heart skipped a bit, whether it was from stress, fear, anger, or relief, he couldn't tell. He walked over to the suitcase, dropped to his knees and quickly opened it, only to be greeted with a horrified scream in that familiar voice and flying hands.

"Wu! Wu, it's me," he exclaimed, grabbing the Prince's arms to keep him in place, and perhaps to calm him down a little.

"Mako?" Wu asked in a weak voice. "Where am I? Am I dead?"

"No. You're on a train. We're gonna get you out of here."

If only the moment could last a little bit longer. Although Mako wasn't showing it, he was genuinely happy and glad to see Wu alive and somewhat in a good state... good as in, 'no broken bones or missing limbs'. It wasn't a surprise that the happiness had to be wiped away by two of Kuvira's supporters that barged in, ready to attack.

Sharp metal bits were cutting the air, aiming right for Korra, who swiftly blocked every single attack. Just a second of hesitation on Kuvira's supporters' side was enough for Korra to strike them with air bending, throwing them up in the air and against the wagon's ceiling, knocking them out. Upon seeing more enemies closing in, the Avatar closed the wagon's door with air bending and looked up at the ceiling thinking of an escape plan. Finally, she tore the ceiling apart, creating an exit for the gang.

Helping Wu to stand up, Mako wondered whether it was a good idea. Copying Korra, he looked up only to see the blue sky. It was kind of ironic seeing something so calm and soothing, while they were trying to escape the enemy.

"No way I'm going up there!" The Prince whined, offended that Korra would even suggest something as dangerous by his standards.

Mako was about to argue with him, but Korra beat him to it. Using air bending again, she created a small hurricane around Wu and shot him up into the sky, clearly frustrated and done with the whole kidnapping. Upon hearing Wu's yelps and a loud thud outside, the bodyguard had to assume he's fine and hurry up to join him up there, before he managed to fall off the train. There was no time for pointing out Korra's harsh behaviour now. The Avatar flew up onto the roof and helped Asami and Mako up, so the three could quickly escape with Wu.

Once again, Mako helped Wu stand up and kept a firm grip on his arms, making sure he wouldn't fall down again. He wasn't near being comfortable enough to let Wu run on his own, considering he just got out of a suitcase after being scrunched up for ages. Mako had to finally take proper care of him, just as Korra suggested. Even if the Prince didn't blame Mako for the kidnapping, the guilt was already setting in. For three years Mako has been his bodyguard, and although he didn't like admitting it, Wu has grown on him. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the throne's heir; not only because it was his job to protect him, but also because he truly cared for him and the worry was eating him out from the inside every time it seemed like the Prince could have been hurt.

_No need to get all sentimental now_ , Mako thought, as he threw Wu across the train's rooftops to Korra, following them right after that. He wasn't the only one to follow them - Kuvira's thugs were right after them. Another fight ensued. Asami put on her glove, throwing punches and kicks, electrocuting the attackers, while Mako swung at them with fire.

They were both forced to move back when the attackers, using metal bending, closed them off with the train's rooftop. They bent it over the gang's heads, so they had no way of getting away.

Of course, that wasn't going to work with Korra there. She pulled everyone close to her and pulled the same trick she did with Wu. Creating a small hurricane around all four of them, she yelled, "Jump!"

Jump they did, screaming to their presumed demise. Fortunately for them, however, there was no demise. After just a few seconds of falling, they landed and somehow survived. It wasn't the softest landing, of course, but it was safe and successful enough. Mako got up and quickly made his way to the Prince, who was still moaning on the ground, mumbling to himself about how unacceptable the event was. The complaining stopped as soon as he spotted Mako's stretched out hand he immediately used to support himself getting up.

"Are you OK?" Mako asked, still holding Wu's hand. It was so soft and smooth... no wonder, Wu always spent ages in the bathroom, grooming himself. Nonetheless, it was incredibly nice to hold, almost soothing. Wu's hands were small compared to Mako's own rough hands, beaten up from pro-bending matches and work. Maybe that was why Mako wanted to hold them all the time? No, wait a minute. It wasn't like he wanted to hold them _all the time_ , he just wouldn't necessarily mind holding them for a long time! Did that sound better? Why was he even thinking about this?

He was just making it weirder than it needed to be.

Suddenly, Wu hugged Mako. Well, more like almost squeezed him to death, throwing him off guard. They wobbled together for a second, luckily avoiding falling over again.

"Yes, I am! Oh, Mako, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, so much!" The Prince almost tripped over his own words, pressing his face against his friend's chest, not loosening the hug. His face was decorated with a big, hopeful grin and his eyes were sealed shut and covered by his dark hair.

Shit. Mako's heart was going crazy again, and it seemed to be calming down. This whole thing really wasn't about losing his job at all, was it? Frankly, Mako only thought about his job when he caught himself thinking about Wu too immensely.

_This is bad_ , he thought to himself, feeling a blush pouring down his face. He looked at Wu, more specifically at his lips. Wait, no. His face, in general. Not only his lips. His big, dark, shiny, smooth, soft, happy lips... oh, God, did he really want to do that? Did he just catch himself wanting to kiss _Wu_?

"You're definitely getting a raise, tough guy!" Wu continued, snapping Mako back to reality.

"Oh. Oh, no, you should be thanking Korra. If it wasn't for her, we would've never found you."

"Ah, Avatar Korra, I owe you my life."

And now to make sense of it all. Mako didn't know what to think. Suddenly he's thinking about kissing Wu, on the day that Wu is kidnapped and almost lost forever. So that must be it. It couldn't be a true feeling. It must have been because of the stress and fear of losing the Prince. Sure, Mako cared for him and even considered him a friend, but nothing more. He couldn't. It wasn't possible.

ii.

"Ugh, this is impossible!" Wu whined, lying on the floor.

"Come on, it's not that hard," Mako sighed and put his hands on his hips in an impatient manner.

The boys were supposed to be training at Asami's place. It was partially Wu's idea, too. After being kidnapped, he concluded that it's unacceptable for a prince to be so weak and hopeless when faced with an enemy, so he asked Mako to train him, since he was Wu's bodyguard and possibly the only person actually willing to train him.

"Get up, we're nowhere near finishing today's session," Mako said in an assertive tone, crossing his arms on his chest. He wasn't that happy about training with Wu either, but he would worry less if the prince could protect himself, so it had to be done. Even despite, Wu's frustrating behaviour.

"You gotta give the future king a second, Mako. How would your grandma feel about you forcing me to do this? What would she think about you beating me up all the time and giving me no rest, hm?"

"Are you seriously using my own grandma against me?"

"I sure am!" Wu sat up and grinned.

"You're unbelievable."

"Awh, I love you, too, tough guy."

Mako blinked twice and bit the inside of his cheek. Then, he looked down and covered his face with his hand, hoping the Prince didn't get the chance to see him blushing. Every time the bodyguard thought he was over his 'feelings' for his boss, Wu decided to do something to make him uncertain again. Why was it so difficult? He didn't have dumb problems like this when he was with Asami or Korra. Well, OK, maybe he did have some problems, but at least he was sure of his feelings for the most part! Either way, he couldn't let his feelings get the best of him. He was still just a bodyguard and Wu had to remain just a way-too-friendly boss.

The sound of opening door broke the soon-to-be-awkward silence. Mako turned around, forgetting about the inner crisis he was having just a moment ago, to see his lovely grandma smiling at them. Unfortunately, her smile quickly faded away, when she realised the Prince was on the floor. She went over to him and helped him stand up.

"Mako, what did you do? I thought I told you you ought to be careful with the Prince enough times! You poor thing, did he hurt you again?" Yin went from a mad old lady to the most loving and caring person in the world in split second, as she looked at her favourite child, despite Wu not being the part of the family.

"Exactly Mako, you were supposed to be careful," Wu said mockingly, pouting and then immediately sending a wink Mako's way. He continued, flexing, "But don't worry, Yin, he didn't hurt me. I'm the heir to the throne, after all. I have to be strong."

Mako's heart skipped a beat when Wu winked at him. Again. Still, he couldn't help but smile softly. It was becoming distracting, though. He couldn't be thinking about Wu that way, not now, probably not ever. He shook his head before realising that Wu and his grandma were still talking, discussing the previous monarchs of the Earth Kingdom, complimenting each other's outfits, and planning out dinner. Nothing Mako would be interested in, then.

The time passed, and Wu was still charming the lovely Yin. Not that it was hard, she felt dizzy after a mere thought of a monarch.

"All right, I think that's enough," Mako finally spoke up, gaining their attention. "As I said, the session's not over. Grandma, I promise that I'll be gentle with Wu. But we really need to train. I mean, what if... what if he was kidnapped again? It'd be a shame if he couldn't protect him again. And we don't want that, right?"

Yin sighed heavily, "I reckon you're right, Mako. But you better keep that promise. We don't want him getting kidnapped again and we don't want you breaking his bones." She made her way over to the door. "He's royalty, after all, and we have to respect him."

"Of course, grandma."

"Hum, it's so nice seeing you worry about me so much, Mako." Wu strutted over to Mako and threw his arm around him.

"Don't get so full of yourself. It's my job to take care of you."

"Now, no need to be harsh. There's nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, like your granny said, I'm royalty! People love me without realising it."

Mako rolled his eyes. He didn't say anything else but only thought about something for a second. In the blink of an eye, Mako grabbed Wu's arm, spun him around and pushed his arm against his back. Then, he grabbed Wu's shoulder and squeezed it, so that the Prince would arch his back. He pushed him, sweeping Wu off his feet and so he fell on his face with a loud thud. That seemed to be a pattern in his life.

"What in the-"

Wu couldn't finish his sentence. His treacherous bodyguard rolled him over onto his back and got on top of him. The Prince was about to complain and object yet again, trying to sit up, but Mako pushed him down and grabbed him by the wrists so that Wu couldn't move.

"I just kidnapped you."

"What?" Wu asked surprised, completely dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"

"I just kidnapped you. And let me tell you, it was way easier than it should've been. You didn't even try to stop me."

Mako tried to stay neutral about having Wu pinned down, now thinking that it might not have been the best idea ever. It felt oddly right to have Wu under him like that. Oh, but there's no time to be thinking about that right now. No need to make it weird. They were just two buddies training, being incredibly close, touching each other all the time and saying they love each other. OK, that last part was one-sided, but it happened nonetheless. Still, Mako's face felt hot, so his attempts not to make this situation weird clearly didn't work wasn't that just great. He shook his head disapprovingly as if thinking of Wu's performance when in reality, he was thinking of himself. He needed to get a grip of himself and that weird 'crush' of his. If it continued like that, he would lose all control and do something incredibly stupid he'd regret for the rest of his life.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second. I was supposed to stop you? How? You move at the speed of light and compared to me you're huge! There's no way I could've stopped you," the Prince said, pouting, utterly offended. Thankfully, that brought Mako back to earth.

"Right. Yeah, you were supposed to stop me. You know that if someone was to kidnap you, they wouldn't be all like 'hey, you, I'm totally gonna kidnap you, square up.'" Mako explained, saying the last part in a mocking high-pitched voice, to emphasise it more.

"Of course I know, I've been kidnapped before! It's just not as easy as you think it is."

"And that's the exact reason why we're training." Mako finally stood up, taking a deep breath to calm down. "Get up, we're trying that again. This time you'll know what we're doing, so you won't have any excuses."

"You really know how to motivate a guy," Wu said sarcastically, following Mako's lead.

They began training for real, finally. Mako didn't change his tactics but instead repeated his move every single time Wu failed to fight back, so that he could learn it and think of a way to stop his bodyguard from beating his ass again. It wasn't the most interesting and breathtaking exercise, but at least Wu was willing to do it, so that had to be enough.

Minutes passed and nothing changed, but neither of the boys were to give up. It was important for Mako because he wanted to make sure Wu would be able to take care of himself once Mako stopped being his bodyguard. Despite all the harsh treatment he's been giving the Prince, he honestly wanted him to be safe. Being royalty was dangerous, and there was simply no chance you could be 100% safe with a bodyguard. For instance, the first time Wu was ever kidnapped was when he was in the bathroom, doing his private business. And unless your bodyguard watched you pee, there was no way anyone could have prevented it, expect yourself.

As for the Prince himself... he didn't want to stop practising, so that he could prove himself and beat Mako. Really, there was nothing else to it His pride was insulted, so he had to make it up to, well, his pride and himself. Therefore, he tried and tried over again, just to fail once more, so he could get up and try again. It felt like an endless cycle.

"Ah, this is ridiculous," Wu huffed after another hour of trying to take Mako. Has it really been an hour, already? It sounded so silly.

"It's not. You know, you're getting better. I mean, you finally have some kinda reflexes. And it's refreshing to see you actually try and learn something."

"I think you're discrediting me here a bit. Thoughts?"

"You're wrong."

"Have I ever told you I love when you're being assertive and so confident, even though you may be the one in the wrong? It's truly admirable."

A rosy shade of pink slyly crept in Mako's face. And what Wu said wasn't even fully a compliment. Now, that was ridiculous, and not Wu's inability to fight. That was just embarrassing.

"We're doing this until you manage to beat me. Then I might think about giving you a, hm, sorta vacation. A break from training, that is."

"Wait, really? I would hope so, I'm not used to exercising this much."

"No kidding."

"Ha-ha-ha, Mako. Thank you for your great input. What I'm saying is, my body will be sore tomorrow, I already feel it in my bones. And there's no way I could train like that!"

"Of course there's a way, Wu."

"Would you really force me to train if my whole body was aching?" Wu put his hand over his forehead dramatically for impact. It didn't work.

"I might if you don't beat me in a second."

"So rough with me. I adore your use of brute psychological force."

A sigh escaped Mako's lips again. Seriously, what was with Wu and constant half compliments, half insults? They were too confusing and too distracting. He shook his head and was about to say they have to continue training, but he never got to finish that thought. When he opened his lips, he saw the Prince charging at him. Bewildered, he didn't get to react, except he put his hands up, covering his face. They both fell, hitting the floor. Wu, of course, was on top of Mako, capturing his wrists in his hands, the same way Mako did it a couple of hours before.

"Ha! I got you!"

No answer. Mako was looking up, still kind of disoriented and tensed up.

"You were right. This is really easy. Especially if the other person doesn't know you're attacking. Does that ring a bell?" He asked, so proud of himself as if he just ended all of the world's problem. He was smiling and that was to be expected.

It was one of Mako's favourite smiles. He smiled back and chuckled quietly, relaxing.

"I guess you really did it. I'm proud of you," he said at last.

Now it was Wu who was caught off guard. He blushed a little and looked almost shy. His big grin became a more sheepish smile.

Mako wished they could stay like this forever.

A knock on the door ended the dream. Mako's grandma came in, asking about the noise, a tray of cold drinks in her hand.

iii.

Mako looked at the heated pan. He grabbed a stick of butter and gazed upon Wu.

"Do you know how much butter we need?" He asked, unwrapping the stick of butter with one hand and searching for a knife with the other.

"Well, no, not really. I can't find the measurements. Maybe just use... some."

"Some? That doesn't narrow anything down, you know."

"I'm aware. OK, well, we're doing this cakey thing for how many people? It's me, you, Korra, Asami..." Wu started counting on his fingers and stopped on Asami as if he was waiting for Mako to finish his thought.

"My whole family."

"Your whole family," he repeated, nodding knowingly. "So we'll need a lot of butter."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm just gonna use the whole thing and we'll see how it goes. It might be too little, actually."

"We can blame it on Korra and Asami." Wu shrugged and smiled like the free spirit he was. Correction: like the bitchy free spirit he was.

"We can?" Mako raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Well, of course we can. I mean, they really put us in a kitchen together. You, a cop who's been eating takeaways and-slash-or food made by my private cooks for the past few years and me, a prince, who's never set his foot in a kitchen, unless it was to scold or praise the cook. I don't know who told them it was a good idea, but they were horribly wrong."

A small chuckle escaped Mako's lips. Of course, his friend was absolutely right, and if he thought about it, it really was Asami and Korra to blame if anything was to go terribly wrong. But he didn't admit that he agrees with Wu. He was supposed to be the thoughtful one, following the rules and being responsible. Come to think of it, though, how could anyone blame him for being just a tad bit more reckless when around Wu, when nothing was endangering their lives? It could be so easy to get lost in your own thoughts or in the conversations you'd have with the Prince.

"You'll need some sugar for that," Wu said, nodding and looking at the stick of butter Mako had yet to put into the pan. Before Mako could say anything, he passed him the sugar and casually came back to cutting chocolate into tiny pieces.

"Thanks," he said softly and finally put the butter into the heated pan.

And so, they stood there in silence, waiting for both the butter and chocolate bits to melt. That just felt weird. Wrong, too, Mako wasn't used to Wu being so quiet.

"You OK?" He asked, looking at his friend.

Wu lifted his head and looked back at Mako. He made a confused face and said, "Yeah, why?"

"You're just, you know, quiet. Usually, you can't stop talking."

"Awh, don't worry, tough guy. I'm all right, I just don't want the chocolate to burn, after all, we don't want to end up with coal, right?" Wu winked and smiled as if it was some kind of a pickup line.

Unfortunately, whatever it was, it worked. Mako tried not to smile, looking away, his cheeks being washed over with soft pink.

"I'm touched that you're so concerned, though." Wu continued in his usual joyful tone of voice, looking back at the pot with his melting chocolate. "I feel like we've grown really close these past three years. Especially after the whole kidnapping thing, when you finally accepted the fact that I'm amazing and that you love," he continued in a sing-song voice.

Mako's blush deepened. Has he actually accepted the fact that he's got a crush on Wu? Now, Wu obviously wasn't talking about this kind of love, but he unintentionally made his bodyguard think. Not only about his feelings, but also about his future and his, well, friendship and (perhaps) other kinds of relationships with the Prince. He's never really addressed the crush, even though it's been, what, a few weeks since the kidnapping. He just ignored it, thinking it'll disappear soon enough. Up until now, that is.

After a few minutes of careful heating up process, both the butter and the hot chocolate ended up in bowls. Wu put the chocolate away to cool off while Mako poured 1 1/4 of sugar into the melted butter and started mixing. Then, when it was mixed, he added two eggs and two teaspoons of vanilla.

"And now mix until the mixture becomes fluffy and light in colour. This isn't as complicated as I thought I'd be," Wu read the recipe out loud so that Mako would know what to do.

"Yeah. I thought something would've gone wrong by now. Guess I was wrong." Mako said, shrugging and whisking away.

"You should believe in yourself more. And believe in me more. You're lucky that I'm naturally skilled in everything I do, otherwise, we probably would've failed by now, like you said."

"What have I done to deserve you, I wonder," his friend answered in a sarcastic tone, rolling his eyes.

"For the starters, I believe in the rule that good looking people tend to be great friends with other good looking friends. We emit different waves with our brains that only other good looking people can catch, without realising, however. So that is you see a handsome lad or a beautiful dame, or someone with great looks in general, you're naturally interested in them and the waves pull you closer together."

The chaotic thought confused Mako and left him with a bewildered look. "I'm gonna stop you right there."

"If you think you're not good looking enough, I'm ready to argue like it's a life or death situation."

"No, that's not it. You flatter me, really. And I do think you're quite good looking, yeah." Mako felt the awkwardness creeping down his spine. What he was saying wasn't even making sense, it sounded like random babble. "It's just, I have no idea where all that came from. Emitting different waves, did you say? Where did you get that from? That doesn't make sense."

"But it does! You're just too close-minded to understand it."

"Uh... OK, if you say so."

"Great, we're on the same page. You're done with the mixing, by the way."

Upon looking down, Mako noticed that Wu was right. The mixture was incredibly fluffy and light in colour, just like the recipe said it was supposed to be. The Prince read the rest of the recipe and passed Mako the melted chocolate, as it was the next ingredient. And back to mixing. It definitely wasn't Mako's favourite task, but it had to be done. They were too deep in already.

"When you're done, set that thing down. You'll have to help me figure out the measurement for flour. I can't see it anywhere on the recipe," Wu exclaimed, his eyes not looking away from the sheet of ingredients and different steps.

"Maybe you're not looking hard enough," Mako said with a slight smile on his face.

"Excuse me, what did you say? I must've missed it because of that huge wave of arrogance I just caught emitting from you."

"OK, just show me the recipe," the bodyguard chuckled quietly and put the bowl and the whisker down.

With half-closed eyes, he made his way to Wu, who also wasn't really looking where he was going, with a pack of flour and the recipe in each of his hands. That, undeniably, wasn't a good idea. They walked into each other, both grunting confusedly. The recipe ended on the floor along with half of the flour from the pack. The other half ended up on Mako's chest and face. They both stood there for a minute, processing what happened and how exactly it happened. Someone could have thought that the boys shared a brain cell between the two of them and that the brain cell was almost used up, and they wouldn't be far from the truth. The had, in fact, half a brain cell. Definitely.

"Shit, Mako, I- I am so sorry, I didn't mean to, I really didn't! I just, you were, like, and we were walking and then, you know, we- I mean, that's..." the Prince tripped over his words like crazy, trying to explain himself as if he was accused of murder.

Mako laughed in response. He didn't say anything, he simply laughed with closed eyes and a big smile on his face, on a Mako-exclusive scale, that is. Nonetheless, it was a surprising reaction, to say the least. But, it was nice.

It was nice until Mako decided to strike back. He wiped the flour off his face only to pass it to Wu, ruining his haircut with the white powder, as the Prince yelled in distress.

"Mako, what are you doing?! You're supposed to protect me, and this is what you do instead? I look like an old man with dandruff! I've spent hours on this haircut!"

"You spend hours on every single haircut you decide to wear, you realise that, right?"

"You, young boy, have gotten on my nerves. And you will pay for it," Wu growled in a low voice, frowning, pointing at Mako, looking absolutely ready to fight.

"Will I? I wouldn't be so sure about that," was all his back-stabbing bodyguard said.

Let the war begin.

Wu walked into Mako once again, this time using all the force he had in himself so that his opponent would lose balance and take a few steps back and he'd be closer to the mixture - his master plan worked, unfortunately for Mako, who almost ended up on the floor. The Prince scooped some of the mixture into his hand and ran it across his friend's hair, whose response was to grab onto Wu, partially to restore his balance. That wasn't all, though. He spun Wu around as quickly as he could so he'd have time to pick up what was remaining of the flour lying on the floor.

Once he was back up, Wu had just stopped spinning. Feeling dizzy, he wobbled quite a bit, before focusing on Mako's weapon of choice. "Oh, no, not again," he said, shaking his head, a smile spreading across his face.

Happily, Mako took advantage of his height and wrapped his arm around the Prince's head to then pull him in closer, pushing Wu's face against his own chest. He laughed again, "That is exactly what I'm gonna do." At this point, flour was was all over the place, and that included Wu's head. White dust was flying in the air, making it harder to fight, getting inside the boys' noses.

_That might've been a bad idea_ , Mako thought, intending on saying it out loud, but instead, he yelped quietly. Wu started tugging down on his shirt, putting all his weight on his bodyguard, dragging him down. The man started spinning slowly, losing balance again, with Wu putting too much weight on the front. He threw the flour pack away, wrapping his hands around the Prince, picking him off the ground.

"Wait, that's illegal!" Wu's yell was muffled, as his face was pressed against Mako's chest.

"No, it's not!"

"Well, it is from now on, because I said so!" He tried to sound confident and assertive, but he was too busy holding back his own laughter.

"That's not how it works," Mako chuckled.

"I'm the prince here and I'm your boss. Listen to me, dammit!"

"Don't be such a killjoy."

"Pause. Since when _am I_ the killjoy, Mister No Fun Allowed?"

Unable to say anything, Mako finally put his friend down. He was still laughing, although not out loud. It was the kind of laugh that made your stomach and face ache because you were smiling too hard and you were hyperventilating at this point. He put his head on Wu's shoulder, too embarrassed to show off his red face that was burning hot from the giggling. He couldn't remember the last time he had this much time hanging out with someone. What happened wasn't even that hilarious, Mako was mainly so ridiculously happy because of spending time with Wu. Although the way things escalated was fairly funny to think about. Oh, but the joy Mako felt whenever he was with Wu was unbelievable and sometimes even unbearable. He loved him so much. He... yes, he loved Prince Wu, definitely. Why, was that embarrassing or what.

When he finally straightened up, he looked Wu in the eyes. He was also still laughing with a red face. Mako thought he looked cute like that, with messy hair, a big smile, shiny eyes. Even with flour in his hair, Wu never stopped being breathtaking.

Mako wanted to kiss him so hard. He felt like he was under pressure, so without thinking about it, he put one of his hands on Wu's shoulder, while the other one travelled onto his neck. In w breathy voice, he said, "Wu, I-"

The kitchen's door swung open. Mako and Wu turned their heads so fast it looked like they just snapped their necks.

"What the hell happened here?" Asami asked, clearly upset and confused as ever. "I left you alone for an hour and this is what you do? You make a complete mess out of my kitchen? God, and what happened to that damn brownie?"

"Oh, that's what it's called," the Prince said softly, nodding his head.

"I'm gonna kill you both. Once you're done with cleaning up that mess."

iv.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud flying across. It'd be a perfect night for stargazing, if it weren't for Varrick's and Zhu Li's wedding, of course. Varrick was simply too extra for a casual wedding. It had to be amazing and magical and loud and bright and- you get the point. That being said, Varrick made sure that his party would be visible from far away. The bright lights made it impossible to see stars, which was a shame.

Loud music was playing for hours on, deafening anyone who stepped too close to the speakers. That didn't stop people from dancing in the middle of the dance floor, right next to the massive speakers. Amongst the people with a deaf wish, were, of course, Mako's friends and family. That included Wu, Bolin, Opal and the bigger half of his family. To his surprise, Korra and Asami weren't there. He just figured they had their own business to attend to. He wished he had some private business to attend to, as well. He was sitting on his own on some stone staircase far away from the actual party, although the music was still loud and obnoxious. Sure, he wanted to spend more time with his friends, but all that dancing and other loud sounds were too obnoxious for him. He still hasn't fully recovered from the final fight with Kuvira. Despite saying he's all right, he was tired all the time and his injured arm would act up from time to time, making it almost unbearable to function. How long he's been sitting there, was a mystery to all.

Mako left the party a few hours in, although it never seemed to calm down. He figured it would probably go on for a few more hours, if not days, considering how self-absorbed Varrick was and how much he loved parties if they're centred around him.

"Mako!" A familiar voice called out.

Mako turned around and saw Wu running in his direction. He subconsciously smiled upon seeing his friend's cheerful face.

"How's the party?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, tough guy," Wu huffed, bending in half, putting his hands on his knees to support himself.

"I see that you're having fun. You're all sweaty and smiley. So you've been dancing a lot."

"You're absolutely right," Wu mumbled, sitting right next to Mako, leaning against him, putting his head on his friend's shoulder. "There are lots of activities that make you sweaty and happy. Dancing's one of them."

Mako stopped for a second and looked at Wu. That was a weird thing to say. But then again, he was talking to Wu. If he wasn't the Prince of the Earth Kingdom, he would have been the Prince of Weird Things. Fine, that wasn't the best title, but it was the only one Mako could think of being on the spot.

"How drunk are you?"

"Not at all!" Wu exclaimed. "Well, I've had a drink or two, but that's not enough for me to get drunk. Not even tipsy. Just a bit tired, from dancing. You'd know if you cared to join me on the dance floor. I was killing it."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"As you should be. You're missing out on so many things. For example, you missed out the dance fight between Bolin and Varrick. You have no idea how exciting it was. I must admit that they both have a respectful amount of killer moves. They're not as good as me, of course, but they're still good," he explained, moving his hands a lot to emphasise the point even more.

His friend smiled at the story, imagining the dance-off. "I'd love to see that. It's just, the noise."

"What noise?"

"As in like, music. And people singing along to it. And other people talking and laughing maniacally. It's a bit overwhelming for me, you know? Especially now, since I haven't fully recovered from the..." Mako looked at his arm and sighed quietly. "Yeah, that. I'm just tired."

"Oh. Don't beat yourself up, tough guy. I get it. That explains why you were sitting here instead of dancing with me."

"You seriously thought that I was that big of a jerk to not dance on a friend's wedding?"

"Maybe."

"I'm offended."

Wu laughed, "Good ol' Mako. Always here to make me smile. You were the best bodyguard a prince could ever want."

A soft blush appeared on Mako's face. There it was. The lovey-dovey feeling that's been haunting Mako for ages now. But he had to ignore it. There was no point in confessing his feelings now, it's not like Wu would ever feel the same. Kind of depressing, wasn't it?

"I was thinking of staying in Republic City for a while more," the Prince said quietly.

"Really?" Mako asked, a little bit surprised. "Didn't you want to abduct? Wouldn't that be a lot of work?"

"I mean, I guess. But I could take care of parts of the plan here, right? I could just think of a good enough reason to stay here. And the reason could even be that I'm still prince, so they have to listen to me."

"Sure, that's one way to do this." He paused for a second, then continued, "What's keeping you here?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"You."

Oh. _Oh._ Mako surely didn't see that one coming. His heart was suddenly rushing and his whole body was heating up. He looked at Wu, who was looking back at him with a hopeful expression. Seconds passed, and the expression became stressed, then worried, and ultimately disappointed.

Wu bit his lower lip and sat up straight. He started fiddling with his fingers, avoiding Mako's gaze. Finally, he spoke up, "Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"No."

"What?"

"No, I mean, Sorry. You didn't make me uncomfortable. I'm fine, you just, frankly, surprised me. I wasn't expecting anything like... like that."

"I see. Still, I better get going now."

Before the Prince could move, Mako grabbed his hand and said, "Stay. Please."

"Really? You're not mad or anything? Or are you mad and going to yell at me? Because if that's a case, there's no way I'm staying here with you."

In the background, a sappy love story song started playing. It was a calm song, contrasting to the kind of music that was playing before. At least it was fitting. Mako gently grabbed Wu's chin and tilted his head, so that they were facing each other. Wu's face immediately became tinted with dark, deep red.

"You're worrying too much. You have to shut up," Mako said in a low, soothing voice and closed the distance between them.

The kiss was soft and delicate, nothing too extravaganza but it was still filled with strong feelings. With love, more specifically. So, so, so, so much love. It lasted only a few seconds before Wu pushed away, his smooth lips parted just a tiny bit, contrasting with his wide-open eyes.

"Woah." He looked at Mako with his big emerald eyes, that looked magical thanks to the bright blue lights that Varrick set up. It added a fantasy-like glittering. Those were the eyes you could get lost in.

"So? What did you think?" Mako asked awkwardly.

Thankfully, the awkwardness dissipated into the thin air when Wu kissed Mako again, hugging him tightly, this time leaving Mako surprised. He still kissed back though. He was waiting for this moment for too long to back off now.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes and misspelling, I wrote this monstrosity (the usual amount of words for me is like 1k,,,) in one go and I just ended editing it. It's like 4 am and my brain has melted completely.


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